Leszek H. Ward
Research: Stages and Exploration
One pre-reading activity involves having students conduct online research on various topics relevant to the study of The Tempest. The class would be divided into groups responsible for researching the Globe theatre, the Blackfriars theatre, and seventeenth- century exploration. Groups would have one class period to research their topic and prepare a presentation on what they learn for their classmates. Every student will be asked to synthesize and apply what he or she learns from these presentations by answering two questions: "How would seeing a performance at the Blackfriars Theatre be different from seeing one at the Globe Theatre?" and "If you were living in England in 1605, what would you think about the 'New World' and why?" As a result, each group is charged with finding information needed by the entire class, and each student is responsible for learning from the research of his or her peers.
If necessary, students could be assigned roles within the group, including research leader, presentation leader, fact checker, time keeper, and scribe, among others. I would begin the period with a short mini-lesson on research and reputable sources. Students would then start their research by visiting wikipedia.com to gain general background information on their chosen topic. From there they would be required to verify and supplement their research through academic sources. I believe that this is a useful and realistic model of teaching responsible research that utilizes the strengths of sites such as Wikipedia (which is likely to be students' first stop for information regardless of their teacher's directions) while also pointing out the weaknesses and limitations of such research. The second class period would consist of group presentations to their peers, who would in turn be responsible for taking notes in their journals. After viewing all three presentations, students would answer the two guiding questions in their journals based on what they learned from their own research and that of their peers. Having students answer these two questions would require them to synthesize and make use of the information they have found in their research. These questions also require them to consider how the various theatres might affect the audience and to think from the perspective of the worldview from which The Tempest was born. Each of these questions introduces an important way in which to understand the play, one that will be further explored and developed as the unit progresses.
Postcards
Thomas McCann and Joseph Flanagan suggest another valuable pre-reading activity in the September 2002 issue of the English Journal. They describe an activity in which students received postcards from one of the characters in the play for each of the five days before they begin reading. By writing postcards to their students from the perspective of Prospero, Ariel, Caliban, Miranda, and Ferdinand, these teachers were able to promote sympathy for the characters and introduce various perspectives on the central events of the play. After five days, the students were asked to write a response to their character based on the information they had received and discuss what they knew about the play. McCann and Flanagan report that students "contested each other's representation of the plot because some readers felt that Caliban was telling the truth, while others felt that Prospero was the truthful one."
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By writing to their students from the perspectives of the characters, the teachers were able to introduce the conflicting points of view that dominate the play, as well as build knowledge of the plot, themes, and conflict that students would encounter. I believe this to be a clever and engaging way to draw students into a unit on The Tempest, and I would use this activity at the start of my unit as well.
